Design Thinkers & Insights

A sculpted response to site, programme, and climate - this MEMAR Architecture villa in Dubai Hills blends passive design, material nuance, and spatial elegance into a sustainable luxury benchmark

Minimal luxe and meticulous detailing come together in Aashiyana, a 4BHK apartment in Vadodara designed by J Architects. Smart spatial interventions, custom finishes, and a refined material palette shape a seamless, understated interior experience, where every detail speaks of thoughtful design.

Designed by Dhruti Gala, 'The Urban Nest' brings together a refined material palette, intuitive zoning, and subtle spatial drama across its 3BHK layout. From curved forms and stone veneers to fluted panels and marble-finish accents, every element reflects a conscious blend of style and function.

How do you build on land that's older than time? TECTON by MAKHNO Studio is an architecture that listens before it speaks - rooted in geology, shaped by terrain, and softened by tradition. A seamless blend of residence and restaurant, embedded into the ancient slope of Ukraine's Crystalline Shield.

A space-age capsule in the heart of Toronto? This elevated laneway home by Weiss Architecture & Urbanism hovers lightly over a carport-carefully designed to preserve the roots of a mature maple tree. Clad in corrugated galvalume and accented with vivid folk-art colours, it's a bold response to urban constraints and evolving family needs.

How do you design for openness in a space with low ceilings and little natural light? At PIECO Office, Renascent Consultants and Ochre Wall Design Studio reimagine a workplace through strategic zoning, biophilic materials, and refined detailing-turning limitations into design strength.

Out of the Box by MVRDV transforms a Taipei residential tower into a sculptural catalogue of outdoor living! Cantilevered volumes, grid logic, and smart scripting come together to challenge typology and redefine skyline identity. 93 apartments, each with its own unique footprint-crafted within the limits of building code. Explore how design can truly think outside the box.

Crafting lightness and warmth in a luxury Bengaluru apartment, White Shadows Design Studio redefines modern family living. Discover how a balanced palette, materiality, and spatial flow transform a 2,700 sq. ft. home into an airy sanctuary tailored for a relocating family.

Can a mithai store feel like a design narrative? At Saffron & Mishri's boutique space in Mumbai, RE:neev rewires nostalgia through crafted textures, lime-plastered walls, Kantha-inspired details, and a restrained palette of kota, brass, and wood. From immersive retail to a serene terrace café, this is tradition reimagined-layered, tactile, and quietly indulgent.

Where should we brew next? The first edition of What's Brewing? sparked some amazing conversations-and we're just getting started! Tell us which city we should head to next and how many friends or peers you'd bring along. Let's grow this community, one meaningful conversation at a time.

Is Architectural Education Ready for the Digital Revolution? In an age where buildings are simulated before they're built, why is architectural education still lagging? Architect Sejal Mengaji speaks to Sushant Verma, Ramnath Nayak, and Vinay Mathais-practitioners driving the shift toward computational thinking and hands-on digital exploration in design studios.

The Arch Studio turns a fixed-layout apartment in Pune into a layered, luxe-minimalist retreat-without a single structural change. Thoughtful detailing, custom furniture, and tactile warmth make this refurbishment a quiet masterclass in constraint-led design.

FGMF Arquitetos' Casa Aroeira rises from a steep São Paulo slope with linear clarity and sculptural intent. Exposed structure, layered planes, and honest materials come together to frame sweeping views and seamless transitions in a bold ballet of concrete, glass, and terrain.

Can a centuries-old well anchor a contemporary civic experience? July&Partners reimagines a 286 sq.m. site around Yiwu's Bajiao Well into a striking urban plaza-where stone, water, and spatial rhythm converge to evoke heritage in a modern language. A quiet transformation rooted in place and purpose.

Function before form-a Coimbatore home gets a thoughtful makeover by Studio SIRPI. Curves, custom-made furniture, and a hand-painted dome reflect both intent and individuality in this turnkey renovation that ticks all the right boxes: Natural light? ✔️ Extended family living? ✔️ Technical ingenuity? ✔️ Explore how context, craft, and lifestyle come together in this contemporary renovation.

How can design revive redundant infrastructure and bridge the urban-rural divide? CRA's Post Office Pod reimagines public spaces as modular, climate-responsive, off-grid work environments. Debuting at La Biennale di Venezia 2025 and rolling out across Italy via the Polis Project, this concept blends adaptive reuse, decentralised work, and inclusive civic access. A model India could learn from?

Where the Aegean sky meets refined design-Casa Solis by BAD is a poetic summer home in Çeşme. With layered volumes, warm materials, and a travertine-clad infinity pool, it blurs the line between landscape and living. 

Where architecture meets atmosphere-XO Cape Arnna by Yeşim Kozanlı Architecture is a sensory manifesto in hospitality design. Light becomes a character, and space unfolds like a symphony. Explore how past and present converge in this immersive experience on India Art n Design.

Movement meets materiality in Leher by SPARC Design. This 2700 sq. ft. Pune home interprets the poetic rhythm of waves through architectural detailing-from a 33-ft sculpted feature wall to curated furniture and lights. A cohesive spatial narrative flows through every room.

Studio Inspatia crafts Forest Within-a serene residential escape in the foothills of Mount Asama, Japan-where Zen minimalism meets contextual architecture. Elevated lightly on steel stilts, shaped by nature and time, this retreat dissolves the boundaries between interior and forest. Glass walls, charred wood, basalt stone, and a central courtyard echo timeless Japanese traditions, offering presence and quietude in every frame.